SO, IT FINALLY HAPPENED! With much anticipation, Freddy & Wilfred officially opened the Kianda Vision Computer Center in Kibera in mid-May. A HUGE THANKS to everyone who made donation to the project! I actually never thought that this would happen so quickly (given how slow everything else is around Africa). I can only say that my friend Freddy & Wilfred worked magic, and without his help, this would not have happened.
The location of the computer center is on the main street going into the community, hugely convenient and attention getting! There are 7 computers, 2 teachers and 18 students, and am looking forward to getting more students!
We charge a small fee for the material and lessons to the students (far more affordable than their other options), in exchange, they get to take classes that enables them to learn data entry skills, understand how to use MS Office, and have a chance to get certified, which opens up many many job opportunities down the road along with a better future for themselves and their families.
Our goal is to cover the on-going costs (electricity, internet...etc.) with the small class fees so it can be a self-sustainable project. However, we will actively look for big donations so we can use it to expand on the hardware (i.e expanding the classroom space, get more computers...etc.) and impact more lives.
To me, it's really quite amazing what $1400 can do in this part of the world. For the price of a plane ticket from USA to Kenya (or one third of a Birkin bag), we were able to buy a place, remodel it, build furniture, get connected to the electricity/internet, and jumpstart the future of many youths in this community. WHAT A GREAT DEAL!
The other amazing thing to me is the power of a community-based initiative. Imagine donating $1400 to an aid organization, before it actually reaches the ground, 100's of dollars will be wasted on overhead...being used to pay people whose job is to figure out how to best spend the $1400, then spend more on contractors who will actually execute the project...so when it get down the project level, there's probably maybe only $700 left? While it's better than nothing, but the ROI is peanuts!
The location of the computer center is on the main street going into the community, hugely convenient and attention getting! There are 7 computers, 2 teachers and 18 students, and am looking forward to getting more students!
We charge a small fee for the material and lessons to the students (far more affordable than their other options), in exchange, they get to take classes that enables them to learn data entry skills, understand how to use MS Office, and have a chance to get certified, which opens up many many job opportunities down the road along with a better future for themselves and their families.
Our goal is to cover the on-going costs (electricity, internet...etc.) with the small class fees so it can be a self-sustainable project. However, we will actively look for big donations so we can use it to expand on the hardware (i.e expanding the classroom space, get more computers...etc.) and impact more lives.
To me, it's really quite amazing what $1400 can do in this part of the world. For the price of a plane ticket from USA to Kenya (or one third of a Birkin bag), we were able to buy a place, remodel it, build furniture, get connected to the electricity/internet, and jumpstart the future of many youths in this community. WHAT A GREAT DEAL!
The other amazing thing to me is the power of a community-based initiative. Imagine donating $1400 to an aid organization, before it actually reaches the ground, 100's of dollars will be wasted on overhead...being used to pay people whose job is to figure out how to best spend the $1400, then spend more on contractors who will actually execute the project...so when it get down the project level, there's probably maybe only $700 left? While it's better than nothing, but the ROI is peanuts!
photos courtesy of my awesome friends Lin and Joop
I'm super excited about the future of this center, and hope to continue to get funds to expand it. We are looking for donations on more computers, mouse, and printers (and of course, $ donation to help us expand the center). Please contact me if you have any unwanted ones so I can carry them back with me after my US trip!
For those interested to learn more about Kibera, contact Freddy who also runs a slum tour. See more info on their website
For those interested to learn more about Kibera, contact Freddy who also runs a slum tour. See more info on their website
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